North Calgary Dance Centre

We are beyond excited to share that the incredible MARY ARMSTRONG will be sharing her knowledge with us in a few short weeks! 🤍✨

Mary is a distinguished choreographer, artistic director, and devoted mentor whose work embodies both depth and daring. With a unique voice rooted in contemporary movement, improvisational exploration, and bold compositional craft, her artistry bridges precision and poetry.

Her choreography has been recognized across North America, gathering awards and accolades from The Dance Awards, New York City Dance Alliance, Radix Nationals, and Youth America Grand Prix. Professionally, Mary has created and premiered original works with The Alberta Ballet Company, including The Shape of Water and Glance Through My Eyes, which were featured in both their choreographic presentations and summer series performances.

Beyond the stage, Mary has dedicated herself to mentorship and artistic development. Through her customized programs and film collaborations, she cultivates a space where dancers are encouraged to listen deeply, take risks, and uncover their own artistic identities. Many of the dancers she has mentored have gone on to prestigious institutions such as Juilliard, CLI Conservatory, Arts Umbrella, USC Kaufman, and Rambert, but her truest pride lies within the process—the unfolding of each dancer’s voice.

As the co-founder of The Archive Collective, Mary leads with vision and care, shaping a space that honours the vulnerability and power of the artistic process. Her work within the post-graduate conservatory program celebrates curiosity, transformation, and the kind of shared creativity that ripples far beyond its walls.

We can’t wait to see you soon, Mary! 🤩

We are so excited to welcome lexie back to our intensive this year!! 💜

Elexie Tracy is a Calgary-based dance artist and educator who graduated with distinction from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She has over seven years of
teaching experience, specializing in hip hop and commercial styles.

She teaches at local studios including Turner Danceworks and SNAP Dance Studios, working with both recreational and pre-professional dancers across street and contemporary styles. She has also taught at pre-professional summer intensives across Canada, including the Atlantic Dance Festival.

Her background includes foundational training in New Brunswick, Canada in vernacular jazz and contemporary, alongside international experience in Australia in commercial jazz and hip-hop with artists such as Devante Lavatorre and Eden Zerk. She has also trained in New York with Jona Biddle, Princess Lockerooo, and Curtis “TRIX” Pearson.

Her performance experience spans contemporary companies such as W&M2 Physical Theatre and Triangle Systems Collective, as well as international festivals including the Dance and the Child International (DACI) festival. She has also performed in a Canadian indie music video, large-scale flash mobs, and live events, including festivals, markets, and convention showcases.

We can’t wait to see you soon, Elexie! 🤩

We cannot wait to announce that we will have the privilege of welcoming the wonderful Gillian Abbott to the Intensive!!🤩✨

Gillian Abbott (she/her) is a Canadian-born artist and wellness practitioner. She received her BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School and her MFA in Acting from Columbia University School of the Arts. Performance highlights include playing Baby in
the national Broadway tour of Dirty Dancing, performing as a featured artist in Cirque du Soleil’s The Beatles LOVE, co-starring on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, and dancing with Stacey Tookey’s company, Still Motion. She has also taught, directed, and choreographed in Columbia University’s MFA Acting program and choreographed the first-ever musical at The Juilliard School.

Alongside her stage and screen career, Gillian pursued meditation and breath work teaching after years of personal practice and recognizing a need for these tools within
the performing arts. For the past decade, she has supported pre-professional dancers in their holistic wellness through mindfulness, meditation, and breath work. She has taught
at The Juilliard School, Pace University, The Protégé Movement, Edge School, and YYC Dance Project.

Most recently, Gillian founded MTN Life Coaching, where she supports clients ranging from teens to executives in reconnecting with their true selves and creating lives they love. She considers this work her most rewarding endeavor to date.

Looking forward to learning from you, Gillian! 💕

Please help us welcome the outstanding Miss Joanna Domes as our next guest faculty member for our Summer Intensive! 🩰✨

Miss Jo (Joanna Domes) is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dance three-year teacher training program where she passed the Advanced Ballet exam (Advanced 2 Ballet equivalency). She has been teaching in Calgary for more than 30 years at numerous studios across Calgary.

Miss Jo is a strong believer in the benefits of extracurricular activity; that it builds respect, discipline, time management, appreciation and gratitude in those that participate. She takes pleasure teaching children of students she taught back in the 1990’s and even working for students she taught. Miss Jo brings her passion and love of ballet to all her students along with her experience, expertise and high attention to detail.

We are excited to move with you, Miss Jo! 😊

We are thrilled to announce we will have the opportunity to learn from Megan Zvanciuk at the Summer Intensive! Please welcome Megan Zed 🥰✨

Megan is a Registered Dietitian and former professional dancer and aerialist with a lifelong passion for performing. Megan spent years training and performing across multiple disciplines, moving on to pursue dance as a career for 6 years after high school. Since then, Megan transitioned to academia completing her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science with a specialization in Dietetics.

Now practicing in the fields of chronic disease management, eating disorders, and sport performance nutrition, Megan combines her clinical expertise with her deep understanding of the physical and emotional demands of being a performer. Her unique perspective allows her to connect with performers in a supportive and relatable way, helping them understand how food and nutrition can enhance energy, strength, emotional well being, and longevity in their craft.

Megan’s mission is to empower performers to nourish their bodies with confidence building a foundation for both peak performance and lifelong nutrition skills.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us, Megan! 🫶🏻

We are so excited to announce that the wonderful Cinzia Eremita will be joining us again in August! 💕

A teacher for over 30 years, Cinzia owned and operated Dance Explosions Inc. in Calgary, Alberta for 20 years. She has recently taken on the position of ballet chair in the inaugural year of Archive Dance Conservatory a full time post graduate program in Calgary, Alberta.

Dancing since the age of three, training in ballet, jazz, tap, modern and contemporary dance, she has completed her Adv 1 RAD and Elementary I.S.T.D (Checcetti) as well as many Al Gilbert and BATD exams. After earning her Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Calgary, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dance headquarters in London, UK where she obtained her RAD Teaching Diploma.

Cinzia is a member of the Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association, has choreographed locally for Ballet Bodies YYC and has also adjudicated for competitions across the country. She has prepared countless students for RAD ballet exams both at the graded and vocational levels as well as choreographed award winning numbers for competition. Many of her students have gone on to complete dance degrees and pursue professional dance careers. She takes great pride having served as a mentor to many aspiring dance educators through the RAD CBTS program. She looks forward to continuing her career as a freelance dance educator, choreographer and adjudicator in events across the country.

Thank you, Cinzia! We are lucky to have you ✨

Next up, the one and only Kelsie Vanstone! We are thrilled to welcome you back to our Intensive Kelsie Marie Vanstone 💜✨

Kelsie Vanstone is a Calgary-based actor, dancer, model, and choreographer with over 22 years of experience in the performing arts. She has trained and performed across Canada, the U.S., and London, England, and has danced with WM2 and O2 Dance Company. Her performance credits include Google, Mini Cooper, TELUS, and Sportchek, as well as a lead role in the Taiwanese film Mr. Monster. She also had the honour of performing at the Juno Awards for Alessia Cara.

Kelsie is the founder of Dance Alchemy YYC, a movement company dedicated to connecting emotion and artistry through dance, and the co-founder of Triangle Systems Collective, a contemporary company currently developing The Fool’s Journey — a multidisciplinary performance exploring the major arcana of the tarot.

With a background spanning jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, modern, ballet, pointe, hip-hop, and musical theatre, Kelsie’s teaching practice bridges multiple styles and disciplines. Her goal is to foster growth for artists, inspire confidence, and encourage evolution both technically and creatively, helping performers uncover their fullest potential.

See you soon, Kelsie! 🫶🏻

Join us in welcoming Campbell Luliani as our next wonderful Summer Intensive guest instructor! Campbell Iuliani 🤩

Born and raised in Calgary, Campbell Iuliani is a dancer and educator whose training spans a wide range of styles. He began dancing at Alive Danceworks at the age of six, where he quickly developed both technical versatility and a passion for performance.

Campbell’s dedication to his craft has led him to train at some of North America’s most respected institutions, including summer intensives at Alberta Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, American Ballet Theatre, Arts Umbrella, and the prestigious Juilliard School.

These experiences have helped shaped him into a dynamic and adaptable artist with a deep appreciation for both technical excellence and creative exploration. At 18, Campbell relocated to Vancouver, BC to further his training as a member of Harbour Dance Centre’s Intensive Training Program under the direction of Moe Brody. During his time there, he had the opportunity to work closely with many of Vancouver’s
leading teachers and choreographers, refining his artistry in both commercial and contemporary settings.

After ITP, Campbell joined Quill Collective, where he continued to expand his creative voice through collaborative performance work. His performance credits include the MLS Cup Halftime Show at BC Place, as well as live performances and short
film projects such as Mom Com in collaboration with director Aubrey Arnason and choreographer Keiran Bohay. Alongside his performance career, Campbell is a dedicated educator. He holds certification in the ADAPT syllabus for Jazz and Tap (2025), as well as his Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) Level 1 certification. As a teacher, he is committed to fostering both technical growth and artistic confidence in his students. Campbell continues to develop his craft as both a performer and educator, with a focus on versatility, technique and
authentic expression.

He is passionate about creating meaningful experiences in the studio and is excited to share his knowledge and love of dance at North Calgary Dance Centre’s Summer Intensive.

Next up for our Summer Intensive guests, we have the incredible Hannah Watson Hannah 💖
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Hannah Watson has spent her life expressing herself through movement and art. She trained competitively in dance for 15 years across all styles, including acrobatics, hip hop, jazz, pointe, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, song and dance and musical theatre, where she specialized. Throughout her competitive career, she earned numerous overall titles, scholarships, and awards while also launching her acting career, working on a variety of television and film sets.

Hannah went on to dance professionally for seven seasons with two professional sports teams, contributing to two championship-winning seasons while training under world-renowned choreographers, including those who coach the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. She also appeared as a featured dancer on a reality television art competition series.

While Hannah is now the owner and lead artist of Belle & Brow Studios, where she channels her creativity into cosmetic and fine line tattooing, dance has always remained a part of who she is. She continues to create and share her passion for movement, and is excited to bring her experience, artistry, and love of performance into the studio with the next generation of dancers.
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We are so lucky to have the opportunity to move with you, Hannah! ✨

We are SO excited to announce our first guest instructor for our Summer Intensive Danny Nielsen! ✨

Danny Nielsen has emerged as one of the leaders of tap dance in Canada. Originally from Calgary, he began to further his knowledge of tap studying at various festivals throughout Canada and the U.S. around the age of 14. His prolific technical skill and musical sensibility launched him on to the international stage at the age of 23. Danny has taught and performed at many national and international tap festivals including Zurich Tap Fest, Tap Ahead in Germany, North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Taptastic Festival in Germany, and Portland Tap Fest.

Danny was an integral part of Vancouver based dance company Radical System Art’s (Shay Kuebler) production Telemetry. The show was a hit and toured for over 3 years at notable venues such as the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Place Des Arts in Montreal, the White Bird Dance Series in Portland, the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, and Schritmacher Festival in Germany.

In 2012, Danny was the recipient of the Santa Aloi Award from the Scotiabank Dance Centre. He used the grant to create and direct his first full-length production Love Be Best Free, which toured BC for a month in February of 2017 (the first tap show to tour in BC in over 35 years). He also co created Night Cap with Joel Hanna which featured American tap icons Martin ‘Tre’ Dumas III and Jason Samuels Smith. He later created his second full length production entitled ‘On Foot’ which premiered in both Vancouver and Calgary in the fall of 2019. Danny just completed a sold out run of his newest creation ‘In Conversation’ at the Dance Centre in Vancouver in collaboration with Bulgarian pianist/percussionist Kristian Alexandrov, directed by Houston’s Matt Shields. The show was recently presented in Calgary in January 2025 by DJD/One Yellow Rabbit Theatre.

After years away and most recently in Vancouver, he has re-located to Calgary to build more touring shows and further collaborate with musicians.

We can’t wait to move with you, Danny!